Darker (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #6)(86)

Shock settled in to fuel more questions. If that were the case, it would mean Falon wanted me to take out Lilah. I regarded him suspiciously, and he carefully avoided my eyes. As far as the angel was concerned, I couldn’t afford to assume anything.

“Can we just get this over with? Or, do you plan on torturing me further?” Maybe I was asking for it, but if I could get Lilah busy kicking my ass, Willow might get his chance to pop in.

“Honey, I haven’t even begun to torture you.” Lilah rose and walked around my sister’s chair, trailing her hand along Juliet’s arm as she did so. “Where is your vampire, Alexa? Surely he wouldn’t let you walk in here without him.”

“He doesn’t know I’m here. I’m not willing to risk my sister like that. Lilah, seriously, just take what you want from me and let Juliet go. Please.”

“I gave you the opportunity to make an ally out of me. You chose Shya instead.” Lilah’s angry gaze landed on the demon who grinned, infuriating her further. “Naturally, I’m feeling a tad betrayed. I worked at your side for years. I saved your ass, yet you trusted him over me.”

She was jealous of Shya? Really? I would have rolled my eyes if I hadn’t been so sure she’d knock them out of my head.

“Hey, it’s not personal. Remember?” I threw her own words at her. “I didn’t come to stroke the ego of an insecure, washed up demon. Stop wasting my time.”

Jez stiffened beside me and gave my arm a warning squeeze. Lilah’s slow calculated actions were unnerving. I wanted to piss her off enough to shake her control, to throw her off her game somehow.

Lilah’s eyes narrowed, but she held herself together. Without taking her eyes from me, she grabbed Juliet by the hair and jerked her head to the side. Dragging a sharp nail over Juliet’s jugular, Lilah practically purred.

“It’s personal now.” She dug that nail in just enough to bring a bead of blood to the surface. Slow and languid, Lilah bent to run her tongue along Juliet’s slender neck, capturing that drop of crimson.

I shuddered and bit back the urge to shout a useless stream of ugly curses at the demon bitch. The scent of my sister’s blood wafted to tickle my nose with its heady Were aroma.

“You’re a f**king nutcase,” I said, clenching my fists at my sides. “You’re completely mad, aren’t you?”

A light went on as another puzzle piece fell into place. Lilah straightened up, shoving away from Juliet. She took a few steps toward me but kept a safe distance. I was aching on the inside from Falon stripping my power, yet she still feared me.

“I suppose that’s a matter of perspective.” A small smile played about her lips. “Aren’t we all a little mad?”

I shook my head, doing my best to ignore the steady throb in my skull. “It’s not that. It’s him. The separation from your twin flame, it has driven you crazy, made you desperate. Because you know the longer you try to exist without him, the farther you’ll fall into insanity.”

She moved fast. The fist she threw landed like concrete, and I went down hard on my ass. This wolf knew how to take a few hits though, and I was back on my feet going after Lilah before I could rethink the reaction. Falon intercepted, throwing me back with little effort.

“Wrong, you presumptuous bitch,” Lilah seethed, baring fangs. “See here’s the thing about Salem. He and his angels, they were the ones who locked me in a cage. They ensured that if I ever got out, I’d be cursed into this godforsaken form. It was his pathetic attempt to control the way my darkness affected him. At full power, I’m a bigger force than he is. Battling the darkness was driving him mad. So, he took drastic measures.”

I swiped a hand across my split lip, finding it bloody. Bleeding in a room with several unfamiliar vampires was not a good thing. If Kale’s reaction to my blood was any indication of the effect it had on them, there was a chance they could lose control.

“And, you think getting your power back will change that?” I laughed bitterly. “Bleeding me might break your curse, but it will never break your tie to him.”

Lilah’s anger scorched the atmosphere. She seemed flustered. Turning away, she spoke quietly to a tall, brawny demon lingering near the captives. He vanished, leaving me to worry about where he had gone.

I considered reaching out to the vampires in the room, stealing their energy. I could take them all out and have a hell of a load of power to throw at Lilah. Except, until my sister was free, I couldn’t risk it. Drawing on my link to Arys was possible, but his silence had grown, and I no longer felt him in my head. The first trickle of fear slithered through me.

I felt frustrated without any power, but I knew I could do this. I was a wolf, a Hound, whatever the hell that meant. I could do this powerless.

“You know, I hadn’t intended to drag this out. That smart mouth of yours is making me reconsider.” Lilah paced a slow line from Juliet’s chair to Gabriel’s and back again. Both captives stared straight ahead, unflinching and numb. I feared what might have happened to them already.

I stared at the demoness, steady and unafraid. As long as the bitch was talking, it bought us time to get out of this. I shrugged, running a tongue over my cut lip. It had swelled quickly.

“Do what you gotta do,” I said.

Noise at the door drew everyone’s attention. The demon who had just left dragged in an angry, curse spewing Arys.